Transgendered Furry Slave

weatherboi · 07-04-2011, 09:54 PM

Who are the furries?

Lenya looks adorable, with lots of glossy white fur, black paws, a shiny pink nose and cute little pointed ears.

But Lenya is also a 48-year-old computer network administrator called Marshall Woods, who likes motor racing, visiting museums and reading crime novels in his spare time.

Mr Woods is what is known as a furry and Lenya is a "fursona" he has created, which he described as a "sort of space weasel". As part of getting into character he wears a handmade, full-size fursuit.

Furry Fandom, furrydom, furdom - it's called many things - has momentarily found itself in the spotlight in the UK, due to a court case where the two defendants met on a furry website.

It is a largely unknown scene and participants have been happy to keep it that way, feeling they are often misunderstood. So what is a furry?

No standard definition exists but generally furries are people who have a fascination with anthropomorphic animals. These are animals that are given human traits, like walking and talking. They can be anything from cartoons characters like Bugs Bunny to computer game personalities like Pokemon.

The scene has its own art, animation, comic books and literature, but activities are largely conducted online - where furries adopt "fursonas" for role playing.

But for some it is about meeting other furries in person. Groups around the world meet regularly and there are conventions in the US, UK, Germany, Mexico, France, Russia and Brazil.

Petting and scratching
Furries say the scene is about creativity, freedom and community; being who you want to be among like-minded people.

"You get to choose what and who you are. Imagination is OK, no matter what your age," says Mark Merlino, a founding member of the furry culture in the US and known as Sylys Sable on the scene.

But, inevitably perhaps, there's a sexual element too. In a recent court case in the UK, two men who met on a furry website, and shared sexual role-playing fantasies, were convicted of plotting to kill one of the pair's adoptive parents. Christopher Monks, from Lancashire, and Shaun Skarnes, from Cheshire, were found guilty of meticulously preparing the killings via the internet. They are currently awaiting sentence.

Furries will not thank the pair for casting their hobby in a negative light, and tend to argue the sexual side is hugely overplayed.

"I think the problem is that sex sells," says Ian Wolf (his furry pseudonym), who is editor of the British furry news website, FurteanTimes.com. "It is not surprising that less scrupulous journalists like to print stories about people having sex dressed as foxes."

Some furries assume animal traits - known as zoomorphism - and indentify strongly with certain species. This can range from adopting an online persona to wearing a tail or full-sized fur suits like Mr Woods.

Exhilarating

"Fursuiters", as they are called, bemoan society's inhibitions and look admiring at the animal kingdom where creatures have more freedom to be expressive. Touching, petting, hugging and "skritching" (lightly scratching and grooming) is common at social gatherings. And most do not remove their costumes in public areas, to prevent breaking the illusion.

"There's a magic moment when you put a costume on and see yourself in the mirror," says Mr Woods. "It's simultaneously disorienting and exhilarating. You actually do feel that you've changed for just a moment."

Anthrozoologist, Kathy Gerbasi, who studies human-animal interactions and furries, has witnessed furry interaction first-hand.

"People say that being in a fur suit allows you to do things you might not otherwise do, like dance in public, clown around, give people a hug," she says.

She argues furries are just taking something that most of us do a few steps further.

"I think most humans grow up interested in animals. We grow up with teddy bears, pets, Mickey Mouse, etc. Animals surround us in advertisements, nature, stories and fables.

"Humans tend to anthropomorphise as a way of understanding and interpreting the world around us. Furries just take this interest a bit further than most people."

ut a small minority take it further still - believing they are animals trapped in human bodies, or consider themselves to be part animal. A study by Ms Gerbasi at one furry convention found about a quarter of the participants did not consider themselves 100% human.

She is currently researching this in relation to gender identity disorder, when people feel they are the wrong sex and trapped in the wrong body. She says currently unpublished data supports the hypothesis that there are similarities. She is calling it species identity disorder.

'Mystified'

Feeling you are part-animal is unusual, she admits, although "for most, the furry fandom is a hobby and like Star Trek fans or such".

Of course, there's nothing new about people donning animal costumes for a spot of fun. But Furryism, as a pursuit in its own right, grew out of science fiction and comic book conventions in the 1980s, says furry historian Fred Patten.

Small room parties were held at such events in the UK and US for fans of animated cartoons with animal characters.

But it really came of age with the internet in the 1990s and today is an internet community first and foremost, says Mr Merlino.

Conventions are held around the world and some have attracted have up to 3,000 furries. In the UK the scene is very active, says Mr Wolf. There are locals groups and two annual conventions, in London and Manchester, with another planned for Inverness.

For a long time it was a male-dominated scene, but many more women are now involved.

"There are still way more male furries than female ones, but the number of girls is growing slowly," says furry artist TaniDaReal (her furry pseudonym), a 29-year-old media designer from Germany.

Mystified'

"On art galleries, I'd say the gender ratio is pretty balanced. A lot of the furry artists are female."

Very little research has been done on the furry world. This is probably because many behavioural scientists are not really aware of their existence, says Ms Gerbasi.

When I presented an interactive session at an identity conference in 2007 people were mystified," she says. "If you tell people about furries they often think you are kidding or making it up. Also, due to bad publicity, furries have not been cooperative about being studied."

Furries argue it is the persistent misconceptions about them that keeps the scene private.

"The big misconception is that most furries are mainly obsessed with sex," says Mr Wolf. "While there is pornography in the fandom - 'yiff' as it is known - it is only a small part."

So what do they say when someone thinks being a furry is weird?

"I would say that we are just free thinkers who let our minds expand to create these weird and wonderful characters," says Mr Wolf.

(note his tail is NOT a butt plug)

>link<

Kenna · 07-04-2011, 10:02 PM

Lovely cut and paste.

and a neat, very descriptive article.

But it does not dismiss my experience or my son's experience with The Furries.

Kenna · 07-04-2011, 10:11 PM

I made a difference to at least two individuals here.... that's all that matters to me.
Life is a beautiful thing... we learn, we heal (sometimes) and we move on. We find those that support us and those that don't. That's acceptable to me. One can't always have 100% go their way all the time. To me, it's a beautiful thing when one of Our Members comes forward asking for support and advice on something that obviously upsets them.

tapu · 07-04-2011, 10:17 PM

Sweet, I'm taking this in, but I think there is a point to be made that someone who has had experiences with homosexual pedophilia could come into a gay male thread about raising children and go on about how their own negative experience could not be denied to the degree that you are.

I support your efforts to warn the OP about relevant details you have knowledge of. I think you've established that there are sinister elements in the Furry culture, as there are in any segment of society deemed "alternative" or not.

Thinker · 07-04-2011, 10:25 PM

This is obviously a sensitive topic for some of our members. Be respectful in your exchanges even when it's obvious you are on different sides of the discussion.

We are starting to receive notes of concern about where this thread is going and the manner in which some of you are posting; we are asking you all to get back on track: the OP asked for help.

Thinker (moderator)

Thinker · 07-05-2011, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thinker

This is obviously a sensitive topic for some of our members. Be respectful in your exchanges even when it's obvious you are on different sides of the discussion.

We are starting to receive notes of concern about where this thread is going and the manner in which some of you are posting; we are asking you all to get back on track: the OP asked for help.

Thinker (moderator)

I was asked to clarify what I meant in this post. I'm not inclined to cite specific examples until that is absolutely necessary. The direct message from the mod/admin team is just this: Be respectful in your exchanges with other members.

It is obvious that we are going to see opposing points of views regardless of the topic being discussed. It is obvious, too, that members have history. Our personal experiences (both here and outside of this community) play into how and what we post.

We (mod/admin) are looking to have a place at the table for ALL where differences are celebrated rather than criticized.

And, no, this isn't "Pollyanna bullsh*t". It's actually possible. And it's not just in this thread; it's discussions everywhere, even outside of the forums here at bfp.

Kenna · 07-04-2011, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tapu

Sweet, I'm taking this in, but I think there is a point to be made that someone who has had experiences with homosexual pedophilia could come into a gay male thread about raising children and go on about how their own negative experience could not be denied to the degree that you are.

I support your efforts to warn the OP about relevant details you have knowledge of. I think you've established that there are sinister elements in the Furry culture, as there are in any segment of society deemed "alternative" or not.

Thank you kindly. You do make a good point. I did not at all intend to make it about "experiences with homosexual pedophilia". That has never actually crossed my mind or been a "blame" I placed for these past many years. And I wasn't aware that I was coming into a gay male thread because it was posted under Gender And Identity, Other Sexualities and Identities. Thank you for giving me a new perspective. Maybe next time I won't be so apt to post out of frustration about harm to children. Your support is much appreciated. If I hadn't been so frustrated or suffering from some remaining PTSD about things, I would have expressed what you did so eloquently in the highlighted statement above.

kannon · 07-04-2011, 10:39 PM

http://youtu.be/oXcWGbRUnok

look for the hidden subliminal Phallic messages.

T D · 07-04-2011, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kannon

http://youtu.be/oXcWGbRUnok

look for the hidden subliminal Phallic messages.

Bad Bunny!!

AtLast · 07-05-2011, 06:20 AM

No matter the definitions of furry fetishes or role-play- and this does cover sexual activity in some cases. The point is that a 12 year old kid is saying he is uncomfortable with this exposure and his custodial parent is unaware of this situation. It also isn't about parents changing their behavior based upon this kid's feelings. This is about a kid feeling "forced" to be involved in a parent's fetish in terms of a public display. There doesn't need to be any sexual component at all involved.

It seems to me that both parents need to deal with this in a communicative manner with their child. They also need to educate themselves about the developmental stage he is in and also what (if any) negative effects forcing a kid to be involved in events and activities surrounding this fetish. This has no bearing on the father's continuing to act out his fetish desires- just without the kid being present.

I do find it odd that in a situation where parents are sharing custody that the father here would plan activities around this part of his life while spending time with his kid. Anyone that has had this experience knows how tough it is to spend time with your kid and usually one focuses on alone time with their kids in these situations. Something is off with this picture beyond this particular insistence on this kid being coerced in this one situation.

The bottom line is that his mother needs to be involved with what is going on here and these parents need to work out boundaries around this that attend to their son's feelings. Anything that could in anyway have a sexual meaning to a 12 year old or involve power dynamics that are between consenting adults could very well be felt by a 12 year old in ways adults can't imagine (or accurately remember). I would want to know exactly what it is that causes the discomfort and how he is viewing it from his pre-teen perspective. The hell with the adult perspectives- he isn't an adult. His perceptions of collars for example can be very different that adults with knowledge about the full range of sexual expression and non-explicit sexual expression that is related to adult relationship dynamics. This isn’t a cut and dried situation at all.

07-04-2011, 09:54 PM	#1
weatherboi Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Owned boy Preferred Pronoun?: Hey boy!!! Relationship Status: counting freckles slowly under Her direction!!! Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: i have 2 sets of geographic coordinates!!! Posts: 6,097 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 26,797 Thanked 12,549 Times in 2,993 Posts Rep Power: 21474858	BBC News Article Who are the furries? Lenya looks adorable, with lots of glossy white fur, black paws, a shiny pink nose and cute little pointed ears. But Lenya is also a 48-year-old computer network administrator called Marshall Woods, who likes motor racing, visiting museums and reading crime novels in his spare time. Mr Woods is what is known as a furry and Lenya is a "fursona" he has created, which he described as a "sort of space weasel". As part of getting into character he wears a handmade, full-size fursuit. Furry Fandom, furrydom, furdom - it's called many things - has momentarily found itself in the spotlight in the UK, due to a court case where the two defendants met on a furry website. It is a largely unknown scene and participants have been happy to keep it that way, feeling they are often misunderstood. So what is a furry? No standard definition exists but generally furries are people who have a fascination with anthropomorphic animals. These are animals that are given human traits, like walking and talking. They can be anything from cartoons characters like Bugs Bunny to computer game personalities like Pokemon. The scene has its own art, animation, comic books and literature, but activities are largely conducted online - where furries adopt "fursonas" for role playing. But for some it is about meeting other furries in person. Groups around the world meet regularly and there are conventions in the US, UK, Germany, Mexico, France, Russia and Brazil. Petting and scratching Furries say the scene is about creativity, freedom and community; being who you want to be among like-minded people. "You get to choose what and who you are. Imagination is OK, no matter what your age," says Mark Merlino, a founding member of the furry culture in the US and known as Sylys Sable on the scene. But, inevitably perhaps, there's a sexual element too. In a recent court case in the UK, two men who met on a furry website, and shared sexual role-playing fantasies, were convicted of plotting to kill one of the pair's adoptive parents. Christopher Monks, from Lancashire, and Shaun Skarnes, from Cheshire, were found guilty of meticulously preparing the killings via the internet. They are currently awaiting sentence. Furries will not thank the pair for casting their hobby in a negative light, and tend to argue the sexual side is hugely overplayed. "I think the problem is that sex sells," says Ian Wolf (his furry pseudonym), who is editor of the British furry news website, FurteanTimes.com. "It is not surprising that less scrupulous journalists like to print stories about people having sex dressed as foxes." Some furries assume animal traits - known as zoomorphism - and indentify strongly with certain species. This can range from adopting an online persona to wearing a tail or full-sized fur suits like Mr Woods. Exhilarating "Fursuiters", as they are called, bemoan society's inhibitions and look admiring at the animal kingdom where creatures have more freedom to be expressive. Touching, petting, hugging and "skritching" (lightly scratching and grooming) is common at social gatherings. And most do not remove their costumes in public areas, to prevent breaking the illusion. "There's a magic moment when you put a costume on and see yourself in the mirror," says Mr Woods. "It's simultaneously disorienting and exhilarating. You actually do feel that you've changed for just a moment." Anthrozoologist, Kathy Gerbasi, who studies human-animal interactions and furries, has witnessed furry interaction first-hand. "People say that being in a fur suit allows you to do things you might not otherwise do, like dance in public, clown around, give people a hug," she says. She argues furries are just taking something that most of us do a few steps further. "I think most humans grow up interested in animals. We grow up with teddy bears, pets, Mickey Mouse, etc. Animals surround us in advertisements, nature, stories and fables. "Humans tend to anthropomorphise as a way of understanding and interpreting the world around us. Furries just take this interest a bit further than most people." ut a small minority take it further still - believing they are animals trapped in human bodies, or consider themselves to be part animal. A study by Ms Gerbasi at one furry convention found about a quarter of the participants did not consider themselves 100% human. She is currently researching this in relation to gender identity disorder, when people feel they are the wrong sex and trapped in the wrong body. She says currently unpublished data supports the hypothesis that there are similarities. She is calling it species identity disorder. 'Mystified' Feeling you are part-animal is unusual, she admits, although "for most, the furry fandom is a hobby and like Star Trek fans or such". Of course, there's nothing new about people donning animal costumes for a spot of fun. But Furryism, as a pursuit in its own right, grew out of science fiction and comic book conventions in the 1980s, says furry historian Fred Patten. Small room parties were held at such events in the UK and US for fans of animated cartoons with animal characters. But it really came of age with the internet in the 1990s and today is an internet community first and foremost, says Mr Merlino. Conventions are held around the world and some have attracted have up to 3,000 furries. In the UK the scene is very active, says Mr Wolf. There are locals groups and two annual conventions, in London and Manchester, with another planned for Inverness. For a long time it was a male-dominated scene, but many more women are now involved. "There are still way more male furries than female ones, but the number of girls is growing slowly," says furry artist TaniDaReal (her furry pseudonym), a 29-year-old media designer from Germany. Mystified' "On art galleries, I'd say the gender ratio is pretty balanced. A lot of the furry artists are female." Very little research has been done on the furry world. This is probably because many behavioural scientists are not really aware of their existence, says Ms Gerbasi. When I presented an interactive session at an identity conference in 2007 people were mystified," she says. "If you tell people about furries they often think you are kidding or making it up. Also, due to bad publicity, furries have not been cooperative about being studied." Furries argue it is the persistent misconceptions about them that keeps the scene private. "The big misconception is that most furries are mainly obsessed with sex," says Mr Wolf. "While there is pornography in the fandom - 'yiff' as it is known - it is only a small part." So what do they say when someone thinks being a furry is weird? "I would say that we are just free thinkers who let our minds expand to create these weird and wonderful characters," says Mr Wolf. (note his tail is NOT a butt plug) >link< __________________

07-04-2011, 10:11 PM	#3
Kenna Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Fiery, Sassy, Tough As Nails, Femme Tomboy Preferred Pronoun?: She Relationship Status: I am your favorite hello and hardest goodbye. Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: NC & CO Posts: 4,806 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 4,624 Thanked 12,195 Times in 3,779 Posts Rep Power: 21474856	I made a difference to at least two individuals here.... that's all that matters to me. Life is a beautiful thing... we learn, we heal (sometimes) and we move on. We find those that support us and those that don't. That's acceptable to me. One can't always have 100% go their way all the time. To me, it's a beautiful thing when one of Our Members comes forward asking for support and advice on something that obviously upsets them. __________________ **************************** She has been through hell, so believe me when I say, fear her when she looks into a fire and smiles. ~E.Corona~

07-04-2011, 10:17 PM	#4
tapu Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Understated butch. Preferred Pronoun?: I Relationship Status: Party of One Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Maine Posts: 1,654 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,324 Thanked 3,114 Times in 1,103 Posts Rep Power: 21474852	Sweet, I'm taking this in, but I think there is a point to be made that someone who has had experiences with homosexual pedophilia could come into a gay male thread about raising children and go on about how their own negative experience could not be denied to the degree that you are. I support your efforts to warn the OP about relevant details you have knowledge of. I think you've established that there are sinister elements in the Furry culture, as there are in any segment of society deemed "alternative" or not. __________________ Really? That's not funny to you?

07-04-2011, 10:25 PM	#5
Thinker Senior Member How Do You Identify?: transman Preferred Pronoun?: male Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 1,868 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 710 Thanked 4,133 Times in 1,079 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	This is obviously a sensitive topic for some of our members. Be respectful in your exchanges even when it's obvious you are on different sides of the discussion. We are starting to receive notes of concern about where this thread is going and the manner in which some of you are posting; we are asking you all to get back on track: the OP asked for help. Thinker (moderator) __________________ Practice humility and kindness.

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07-04-2011, 10:02 PM	#2
Kenna Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Fiery, Sassy, Tough As Nails, Femme Tomboy Preferred Pronoun?: She Relationship Status: I am your favorite hello and hardest goodbye. Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: NC & CO Posts: 4,806 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 4,624 Thanked 12,195 Times in 3,779 Posts Rep Power: 21474856	Lovely cut and paste. and a neat, very descriptive article. But it does not dismiss my experience or my son's experience with The Furries.

07-04-2011, 10:39 PM	#8
kannon Member How Do You Identify?: bloke Preferred Pronoun?: He Relationship Status: Happy is the heart that believes in angels Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Land of Milk and Honey Posts: 884 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,920 Thanked 2,068 Times in 584 Posts Rep Power: 21474851	http://youtu.be/oXcWGbRUnok look for the hidden subliminal Phallic messages.

07-05-2011, 06:20 AM	#10
AtLast Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Woman Preferred Pronoun?: HER - SHE Relationship Status: Relating Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: CA & AZ I'm a Snowbird Posts: 5,408 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 11,826 Thanked 10,827 Times in 3,200 Posts Rep Power: 21474857	No matter the definitions of furry fetishes or role-play- and this does cover sexual activity in some cases. The point is that a 12 year old kid is saying he is uncomfortable with this exposure and his custodial parent is unaware of this situation. It also isn't about parents changing their behavior based upon this kid's feelings. This is about a kid feeling "forced" to be involved in a parent's fetish in terms of a public display. There doesn't need to be any sexual component at all involved. It seems to me that both parents need to deal with this in a communicative manner with their child. They also need to educate themselves about the developmental stage he is in and also what (if any) negative effects forcing a kid to be involved in events and activities surrounding this fetish. This has no bearing on the father's continuing to act out his fetish desires- just without the kid being present. I do find it odd that in a situation where parents are sharing custody that the father here would plan activities around this part of his life while spending time with his kid. Anyone that has had this experience knows how tough it is to spend time with your kid and usually one focuses on alone time with their kids in these situations. Something is off with this picture beyond this particular insistence on this kid being coerced in this one situation. The bottom line is that his mother needs to be involved with what is going on here and these parents need to work out boundaries around this that attend to their son's feelings. Anything that could in anyway have a sexual meaning to a 12 year old or involve power dynamics that are between consenting adults could very well be felt by a 12 year old in ways adults can't imagine (or accurately remember). I would want to know exactly what it is that causes the discomfort and how he is viewing it from his pre-teen perspective. The hell with the adult perspectives- he isn't an adult. His perceptions of collars for example can be very different that adults with knowledge about the full range of sexual expression and non-explicit sexual expression that is related to adult relationship dynamics. This isn’t a cut and dried situation at all.